Life insurance sized to your family, not to our commission

Start with the number, not the product

The useful question is not which type of policy you want. It is: if your income stopped tomorrow, what would your family need money for, and for how long? Usually that is some combination of the mortgage, replacing income while children are still at home, clearing debts, and covering final expenses. Add those up first. The right product follows from the number.

The three kinds

Term

Cover for a set period — commonly 10, 20 or 30 years — at a fixed premium. It is by far the cheapest way to buy a large amount of protection, which makes it the right answer for most people with a mortgage or young children. It pays out only if you die within the term.

Whole life

Permanent cover that also builds cash value. Premiums are considerably higher for the same death benefit. It is genuinely useful for estate planning, for lifelong dependants, or where you want a guaranteed payout whenever it happens — and it is frequently oversold to people who needed term.

Final expense

A small permanent policy, typically enough to cover a funeral and immediate costs, with simplified underwriting. Often available without a medical exam, which matters if health conditions have made other cover expensive or unobtainable.

Underwriting, and being straight about it

Health conditions affect what you pay and, sometimes, whether a company will offer cover at all. Different carriers treat the same condition very differently. Because we are independent we can place an application where it is most likely to be accepted at a fair rate, rather than submitting it to one company and hoping.

Answer the health questions accurately. A policy issued on inaccurate answers can be contested at exactly the moment your family needs it to pay.